Total Film exclusive subscribers' cover #1

Total Film exclusive subscribers' cover #2

The Martian, Ridley Scott's new sci-fi adventure starring Matt Damon, is landing in cinemas at the start of October. Inside the new issue of Total Film magazine, there's a set visit to Mars (well, the gigantic Budapest soundstage that doubled for the Red Planet), with the magazine's intrepid reporter touching down just as a furious dust storm hits. To get a taste of what to expect, check out the two exclusive images above.

Based on Andy Weir's bestselling novel, The Martian sees NASA astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) stranded 225,300,000km from home when the aforementioned storm separates him from the rest of his crew. Using only real science and with zero movie cheats, Watney must figure out how to send an SOS to Earth… and how to survive for the four years it will take to get a rescue mission to Mars.

With the action switching between Damon flying solo, the rest of his crew in the shuttle (Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Peña, Aksel Hennie) and the NASA bods in Houston (Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sean Bean), this is far more than the 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars' it's been tagged as.